SAN ANTONIO — Spurs rookie Joshua Primo isn't afraid to hoist up a shot from anywhere on the court.
From his play during the 2021 Summer League to his current time with the Austin Spurs, the 18-year old guard is displaying a deft shooting touch but it is a family affair honing his impressive skill.
"I've worked on it all my life with my father. My sister," Primo said. "I work on it every day."
Primo not only takes and makes outside shots, but he also takes them with confidence seen in a 10-year NBA veteran.
He's played three NBA games and remains perfect from the field going 3-for-3.
Yes, that is a very small sample size but he has shooting range at the NBA level and showed it in Austin's recent 112-110 win over Mexico City Capitanes.
Primo led Austin in the second half with a shooting barrage scoring 21 of his 28 points off 8-for-11 shooting including going 4-for-6 from the three-point line to help Austin to its first win of the season.
"It's something that's come naturally for me since I've picked up a ball," Primo said.
The Spurs drafted Primo 12th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft and in just one season at Alabama, he accomplished much.
He earned All-SEC freshman honors averaging 8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 38.1 percent from the 3-point line.
Before getting assigned to Austin, his San Antonio teammate and one of the best perimeter shooters in the league, Doug McDermott, shared his assessment of Primo noting his impressive outside shot.
"I'm very impressed with Josh," said McDermott. "Just to see his confidence from day one. It's pretty amazing."
"I don't think he needs to change a thing with that jump shot," he said. "The arch is great and he has all kinds of confidence which is what shooters need in this league."
It may be natural for him to knock down perimeter shots, but his family continues to work with him on improving his talent getting in shots in the gym.
"I get in the gym with both my father and my sister every day," Primo added.
And he credits his older sister, Keshia- who played collegiate basketball- the most for pushing him to be the player he is today.
"My sister is a great shooter," Primo said. "We used to play 1-on-1 all the time as kids. She was a teenager and I was a little kid. She'd beat up on me."
Those tough lessons on the court from his big sister, his continued family involvement, and his dedication to improving have shaped Primo into a very promising player for the Spurs' future.
"It made me better for sure," said Primo.
Twitter: @KENS5, @JeffGSpursZone